Electric gas-lighting



(No Model.)

J. REDDING.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING.

Patented Jan. 24,188 2.

N. PETERS. PhQvLimegmphur. wnshingol D. c.

UNiTnD STATES PATENT raten.

y JEROME REDDING, OF MALDEN, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF ANI) HARVEY REDDIITG, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.y 252,849, dated January 24, 1882.

Application tiled July 18, 188i.

fo all whom t't may concern:

Be it known that 1, JEROME REDDING, ot

Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State Heretol'ore in as-li -htin0 ai aratus o )er-- g an ating on this principle the platinum has been fixed so that it always remains in the space occupied by the ame. Hence its durability and usefulness are impaired by the action ot' the flame.

My invention has for its object, first, `to enable the platinum to be withdrawn from the space occupied by the name after the gas has beenignited; secondly, to enable the platinum to close an electric circuit through itself when it is moved toward the burner and break such circuit when it is moved away, so that there will be no electric action in the platinum excepting when it is in position to ignite thegas; thirdly, to provide means for mechanically connecting the platinum with the gas-cock of the burner, so that the rotary movements of the cock in turning on and shutting oft the gas will etl'ect the desired movements of the platinum toward and from the burner; fourthly, to enable the platinum to be partially withdrawn from the burner after the gas is ignited without turning the cock; ifthly, to provide improved operating mechanism for a gas-cock andan electriclightin g device moved by the cock; siXthly, to provide an improved arrangement ot' the platinum, whereby it is exposed advantageously to the gas issuing from the burner; and, seventhly, to improve the form ot' the platinum, whereby its operation in igniting the gas is improved.

To these ends my invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Ofthe accompanying drawings, forming part ot' this specification, Figures l and 2 represent respectively front and side elevations of a gasburner provided with the improvements em- (No inod el.)

bodying my invention. Fig. 3 represents a section on line x x, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 represent sections on line z z, Fig. 1, showing the arm therein represented in dit'terent positions.

The same letters refer to the saine parts in all the figures. e

In the drawings, a represents a gas-burner, and b represents a pieceor slip of platinum or equivalent metal-such as iridium or iridiumplatinumadapted to be heated by electricity sufficiently to ignite gas by calalytic action or otherwise whenbrought in contact with the gas.

In carrying out my invention I adapt the slip b to be moved toward and from the burner, so that in igniting the gas it will project into the space occupied by the flame and may subsequently be withdrawn from said space. The means for effecting such movement may be of any desired nature. I prefer to use as such means an arm, o, attached to the gas-cock d,

and thus pivoted to the gas-pipe so that it will move with the cock when the latter is turned. The gas-cock is limited in its movements by shoulders s s', formed on a collar, t, on the outer end of the cock, and arranged to abut against a stop-pin, p, on the casing in which the cock turns, the pin and the shoulder s limiting the cock when it is fully opened, and the pin and the shoulder s when the cock is fully closed. The arm c is so arranged that when the cock is in its open position the platinum b may project into the space occupied bythe flame. The arm is preferably arranged so that when the cock is arrested in its open position by the pin p and shoulder s the platinum will not have reached the space ofthe flame, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the arm being adapted to be moved forward toward the burner, after the cock is arrested, until the platinum projects into the dame-space, as shown by the upper dotted lines in Fig. 2, and to be moved back to the position shown in full lines, so that after the gas is ignited the platinum may be withdrawn from the flame, the cock remaining in its open position. To accomplish these independent movements of the arm o, I pivot said arm to the cock, so that the arm can turn independently and limit its independent movement by a pin, e', on the collar t of the cock projecting into a slot,f, in the arm o, as shown IOO in Figs. et and 5. I also connect the arm c with thc collar t by a spring, g, said spring forming a yielding connection between the 'arm and cock, and acting, when the arm c is moved toward the burner by power applied to the arm, as hereinafter described, to rotate the collar t and the cock in the same direction until the cock is opened and the collar arrested by the pin p and shoulder s, the spring g then yielding and allowing the arm c to continue its movement toward the burner. When said movement is completed and the gas ignited a release of the arm c enables the spring to pull the arm back until the left-hand end of the slotfstrikes the pin e,which arrests the arm in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 4. Then the cock is turned back to its closed position the arm c is still further withdrawn from the burner, as shown by the lower dot-ted lines in Fig. 2.

The platinum b may, if desired, be in an electric circuit that is closed by the movement of the arm c toward the burner, and broken by the reverse movement of said arm. To this end I provide the burner with 'a contact-arm, h, insulated froln the burner and connected with one pole of a battery, and support the platinum bat one end by a metallic stud, i, which is in metallic contact with the arm c,

t (the latter being connected in any suitable manner with the opposite pole of the battery.) I support the other end of the platinum by a contact-arm,j,'insulated from the arm c, preferably by means of asbestus, said armyl being normally in metallic connection only with the platinum. The armj is arranged to make contact with the arm hof the burner when the arm c is moved forward toward the burner, thereby closing the circuit through the platinum, and causing it to ignite the gas by catalytic action, the platinum being heated by the current to a point below incandescence, and raised to an incandescent heat by the catalytic action of the gas. When the arm o is moved away from the burner the arm j is separated from the arm h, and the circuit is broken.

The platinum ispreferably arranged to stand, when in position to light the gas, about parallel with and projecting slightly into the flat side of the flame or of the stream of gas to be ignited; and the slip may be either vertical, as shown, or horizontal. This arrangement I have found exposes a larger surface of the platinum to the gas than if it extended crosswise of the flame, and promotes the catalytic action above referred to.

I prefer to make the slip of platinum wider at one end than at the other, and so arrange it that only its wider end will enter the flamespace, the other end being reduced almost to a thread and being outside of the flame. This form of slip increases its resistance to the electric current and causes it to be more quickly heated than itcould be if the part outside of the flame, were of the same width as the part exposed to the name. The reduced end of the slip being too attenuated to bear the action of the flame its location outside the flame prevents injury to it, the end exposed to the flame being ot' sutiicient size to withstand the action of the latter. I do notlimit myselfto a movable strip of platinum formed and located as described, such form and location being equally advantageous whether the platinum is movable toward and from the burner or remains constantly in the flame-space. Y

'lhe means employed for moving the cock and its connected arm c may be variously modied. I prefer to employ as such means a bevelpinion, m, on the arm c; a vertical shaft, a, journaled in a sleeve, 0, rigidly supported on an arm, p', extending from the burner-tube; a bevel pinion,1', on the shaft n, meshing with the pinion m; and a pendent rod, u, connected to the shaft n by a universaljoint, and provided with a handle or knob, u', to be grasped by the operator, the universal joint being of any suitable,construction which will permit the rod u to yield or swing freely in any direction and at the same time to rotate the shaft n. In the present case said universal joint is formed by slotting the lower end of the shaft n, passing a pin through the slot, and forming an eye on the rod loosely encircling the pin.

The connection of the pendent rod to the operating mechanism by a universal joint, as shown, enables saidrod to be extended downwardly as far as may be desired, so that it may be operated by a short person and at the same time have a yielding movement in any direction, so that it will not injure the head of a person accidentally striking it. Thisjointed rod may be used with other forms of electric gas-lighting devices without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The devices last described constitute a simple and convenient mechanism for operating the cock and its arm, and I do not limit myself to their use in connection with an arm carrying a piece of platinum adapted to be heated by the closing` of a circuit, as said arm may carry a platinum wire or electrode of the kind used when a current is iliade and broken in such manner as to occasion a spark at the tip of the burner.

The arm c may, if desired, be operated by an electro-magnet, and the arms of a number ot' burners may be operated simultaneously by electro-mechanical means.

The contact-arm h is in this instance supported upon a collar, e, encircling the burner and insulated therefrom by suitable insulating material, q, preferably asbestus, as shown in Fig. 3.

I claim- 1. The combination of a gas-burner, a con.- tact-arm supported by and insulated from the burner and connected with one pole of a battery, a movable metallic arm connected with the opposite pole of the batteryand provided with a piece of platinum one'end of which is in metallic connection with said arm and the other supported by an insulated contact-arm thereon, and means for moving the pivoted IOO rzo

arm to close the circuit throughthe platinum and cause the latter to ignite the gas by catalytic action, as set forth.

2. The combination of a gas-burner, a contactarm supported by and insulated from the burner and connected with one pole of a bat tery, apivoted metallic arm connected with the opposite pole ofthe battery and provided with a piece of platinum one end of Whichsis in metallic connection Wit-h said arm and the other supported by an insulated contact-arm thereon, and Vmeans for simultaneously turning on the gas and vibrating the pivoted arm to bring its insulated contact-arm into contact With the fixed arm ofthe burner and thereby close the circuit through the platinum, the latter being at the same time moved into the gas issuing from the burner and caused to ignite the same by catalytic action, as set forth.

3. The combination of a gas-burner, a gascock therefor arrested in its open and closed positions by stops, the platiilum-carrying arm pvoted to turn independently of the cock, and a spring connecting the arm and cock, said spring causing the arm and cock to move together until the latter is arrested in its open position, then permitting the-arm to be additionally moved until the circuit is closed 'through the platinum and the gas is ignited thereby, and finally withdrawing the platinum automatically from the flame without moving the cock, as set forth.

4. Thecombination of the burner having the fixed contact-arm, the vibrating arm moving with the gascock and provided with a pinion,

M, a vertical shaft, N, journaled in an arm projecting from the burner and provided with a pinion, N, meshing with the pinion M, and a downwardlyextending rod or handle adapted to be grasped by the operator, as set forth.

5. The combination ofthe burner having the fixed contact-arm, the vibratin g platinum-carrying arm moving with the gas-cock and provided with a pinion, M, a vertical shaft, N, journaled in an arm projecting from the burner and provided with a pinion, N, meshing with the pinion M, and a pendent rod or handle connected to said shaft, so as to swing freely in all directions, as set forth.

6. In an electric gas-lighting apparatus, an d elongated strip of platinum standing substantially parallel with and projecting slightly into the i'lat side of the ame, whereby the platinum is presented to the best advantage to the gas and catalytic action is promoted, as set forth.

7. '1n an electric gas -lighting apparatus, a slip of platinum adapted to be heated by electricity, made Wider at one end than at the other, and located so that-its wider end only will project into the space occupied by the flame, as set forth.

In` testimony whereofl have signed my name I to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 14th day of July, A. D. 188i.

JEROME REDDING. Witnesses:l

C. F. BROWN, D. B. MORRISON. 

